A Look at Life
by Hope A
Summary: Cordelia has a vision of Fred that results in her death. Can Angel, Wesley, Gunn, and Cordy save her, or is Fred destined to die?


A Look at Life  
  
Cordelia has a vision of Fred that results in her death. Can Angel, Wesley, Gunn, and Cordy save her, or is Fred destined to die?  
  
  
  
About 10:00 am. Hyperian Hotel Lobby. Cordy is online sipping coffee. Gunn is playing with his Game boy, Wesley is in his office and Angel is reading the newspaper. Fred enters coming down the stairs reading a book and twirling a piece of her long brown hair.  
  
" Hi Fred" Wesley says as he comes out of his office  
  
" Oh, you startled me, hi" Fred said with a gasp  
  
" How are you this morning"?  
  
" Fine"  
  
" Wouldcha like some coffee?" Cordy asks  
  
" Oh yes, thankyou" Fred replies  
  
" What are you reading" Wesley asked  
  
" Oh this, it's just another book of mathematics and philosophy of ancient Greece.  
  
" Hhmm, that sounds (cough) interesting"  
  
" Yeah, if you like this sort of stuff"  
  
" Here ya g-"  
  
Cordy drops the mug of coffee. Fred jumps back. Cordy grabs her head.  
  
" Ahh, ahhhh," Cordy moans  
  
Angel, Wes, and Gunn run to help her.  
  
" What do you see?" Angel asks  
  
" Ahh, a girl, brown hair, long, tall and thin, uhh, ahh, running down an alley holding her neck. She was bitten. He catches up ahh, with her and leaves her to bleed to death"  
  
" Where? Where was it?" Angel asked  
  
" Umm right around the corner"  
  
" Corner? From where? Who's the girl?" Angel asks  
  
Cordy looks up at Fred, with tears in her eyes.  
  
" Cordy?" Angel yells  
  
She stares at Fred, then looks down with her eyes wide open.  
  
" It was Fred"  
  
" What? How?"  
  
" She was running down the alley, right around the corner"  
  
Fred drops her book and starts to back away. Wesley looks up at her. Fred looks down at Cordy and sees Angel staring up at her. She backs away not knowing where to go.  
  
" She… this must be a mistake" Fred says as she begins to cry  
  
" Oh, Fred" Wesley says  
  
" Fred, when Cordy has a vision their never wrong. They're trying to protect you"  
  
" No, no. I'm going to die, I came here some I wouldn't die. NO, it wasn't me!" Fred argued  
  
" Yes it was, Cordy saw it" Angel said  
  
"We're not going to let you die ok?" Wesley added  
  
" They sent me the vision to protect you. The y sent one to me when you were in Pylea so we could save you. They obviously are trying to protect you."  
  
" Well what do I do stay in the hotel the rest of my life?" Fred asks  
  
" We'll keep you safe" Wes said " Don't worry"  
  
With tears in her eyes, Fred ran off up to her room and stayed there the whole night.  
  
" Well as long as she doesn't go out she'll be safe, right?" Cordy asked  
  
" Well maybe not, they might be waiting for her or she may get hurt another time when we think it's safe, but it's not." Angel answered  
  
Later that night, everyone had gone home except Wesley. Angel was asleep in his room and Wesley fell asleep in his office. Fred came down the stairs with her backpack, full of cloths and her laptop. She ran down the stairs and bolted out the door. Wesley looked up but she was gone and just went back to sleep. Fred walked outside in the dark and started walking down the street. She stayed away from alleys. Not to far from the hotel, she heard a sound behind her.  
  
" Angel?"  
  
No response  
  
" Wesley?"  
  
She turned and saw a large man, demon, and staring straight at her. She screamed and ran towards the hotel. He was speeding up and had a crossbow.  
  
" Angel!!" she screamed  
  
"HELP ME"  
  
Just a few more yards and she'd be safe, she looked back and he was loosing speed. She kept running, she looked back again and he was gone. She stopped and turned around, no sign of him. She turned back around to head for the hotel, when he shot her right through her stomach.  
  
" Ahhhhhhh, aahhhh, Oh, G-g-od" she screamed  
  
She was close enough to the hotel that Wesley heard a scream. He did not know who it was but he called for Angel and Fred and went outside to see what happened. About 3 to 4 yards away, Fred fell to her knees and on her side, crying in pain and bleeding. Wesley can't see who it is or why they are crying and on the ground. But he runs over. As he gets closer he can see its Fred. He runs faster and falls next to her. Angel comes running over. He kneels down and picks Fred up. They carry her into the hotel and place her on her side on the couch. They take her backpack off and throw it out of the way. Fred is still crying and in shock.  
  
" SShh. It will be ok" Wesley reassures her  
  
" You'll be fine" Angel says with concern on his face  
  
" Ahh, p-plea-se g-get it o-ut"  
  
" We will, we will" Angel says  
  
They sit her up and get the bandages. Wesley breaks off some of the back of the arrow. Angel pulls it out from her back; b/c the demon shot her from the front.  
  
" I'll pull it out on 3. One, two, three  
  
" AHHHHH" Fred screamed as the arrow was pulled out of her body  
  
" Quick give a cloth or something to stop the bleeding" Angel yelled  
  
Wes handed him a towel and he put it to Fred's wound. He put pressure on it.  
  
" Ahhh, oh please make it stop bleeding"  
  
" She losing a lot of blood" Angel whispers to Wes  
  
" Yeah, I'll get more bandages" Wes said  
  
They cleaned the wound and wrapped bandages around her stomach. It helped to stop the bleeding a little. Fred couldn't lie down or it would bleed more. Wesley sat next to her and held her. She felt safe with him, and comfortable. By the morning her gash was better. They replace the bandages and let her rest. Cordy came in that morning and say her. Even though the bandages were under her clothes, she could sense something was wrong. She went into Wes's office to talk to him  
  
" Hey what happened to Fred?" Cordy asked  
  
" All we know is she got shot with an arrow through her stomach and we bandaged it up" Wesley explained  
  
" How did she get shot?"  
  
" We don't know, but I fell asleep in my office was awakened by a loud scream. I ran outside and saw Fred in the street, screaming and crying"  
  
" How did she get outside"?  
  
" She walked through the Lobby doors"  
  
" Dah, well why did she go outside?"  
  
" I think she was trying to run away"  
  
" Again?"  
  
" Yeah, I knew something bad was going to happen. I could just feel it"  
  
" Hey Cordy", Angel said  
  
" I heard about Fred"  
  
" Yeah, you know I don't wanna blame her but it is her fault"  
  
" ANGEL!" Wes said with anger  
  
" What she was warned and she went out anyway"  
  
" Well, maybe she was trying to get away from you" Wes replied  
  
" What?"  
  
" Well you're the one who told her not to go out and that she would die! You scared her half to death, so she ran away!"  
  
" She knew the consequences, and since she didn't listen to us Wesley, we have a big problem on our hands! We can't be constantly saving her every time we leave her alone"  
  
" Are you saying she's a burden?"  
  
" Maybe I am"  
  
" Angel I –"  
  
" GUYS STOP IT! That's Fred, she's a friend, and she's not a burden, she's new. And saving is what we do, I know we can't always be saving her, but for right, we can! She still needs to adjust! So shut up and go on with what you were doing I bet she heard you to yelling about her!!  
  
" But-" Angel started  
  
" Ah-ah, shut up!" Cordy yelled " Now I'll go talk to her"  
  
" Hey there Fred"  
  
" Hi Cordy"  
  
" How you feeling?"  
  
" Fine"  
  
" You sure, you want me to get you something?"  
  
" No thanks, I don't want to be a burden," Fred declared with a sad but angry tone.  
  
With that Fred got up and went off up to her room. Cordy storms into Wes's office and slams the door.  
  
" Great you guys she heard you"  
  
" How do you know?" Angel asked  
  
" B/C I asked her if she needed anything, and said she didn't want to be a burden" Cordy said staring straight at Angel with anger in her eyes  
  
"Uh- Oh" Angel said  
  
" Yeah Uh- Oh, a big Uh –Oh, she'll probably run away again"  
  
" No, stop over reacting" Angel said  
  
" I'm over reacting" Cordy yelled back  
  
Through the window of the office, Wesley saw Fred staring at them, with tears in her eyes.  
  
" Uh guys, shut up"  
  
" No-"  
  
"No- you" Angel and Cordy were still arguing  
  
" Guys stop"  
  
" What!" they both yell looking up to see Fred through the window  
  
" Oh no" Cordy says  
  
" Oh yes, and I think she heard pretty much every thing you guys said! I'll go talk to her" Wes proclaims  
  
" Fred wait!"  
  
" I heard what they said! They do hate me! I knew it!"  
  
" No, they're both just a little aggravated"  
  
" At me"  
  
" No not at you at each other" Wesley garbs her arm to stop her from running away  
  
" Let go of me" Fred yelled and ran off  
  
Later that day, Cordy went home to cool off and Angel went to his room to cool off. Wes was in his office just re-arranging his things and keeping his office neat. He hears a knock on the door and sees Fred standing there.  
  
" Fred I –"  
  
" No, I need to say something"  
  
" Ok"  
  
" Sit down" Fred suggests  
  
" I know I wasn't supposed to run off, but I got scared and ran. Angel did upset me, it was the whole idea of dying"  
  
Fred put her hand to her wound  
  
" I'm really sorry and I promise I won't leave by myself ever again"  
  
" It's okay Fred. Every one gets scared and I know you've stuck in your room for a long time and you needed to get out."  
  
"Yeah, well I wanted to tell ya that I'm sorry and I won't leave alone ever again"  
  
" Okay"  
  
" Well I'm beat and I'm going to hit the sack"  
  
" Alright see you in the morning then"  
  
" Night"  
  
The next morning Fred's up and is reading her book again, Cordy at her desk, Angel in his room and Wes in his office. Angel comes out and walks over to Fred whose by the couch. He sits down.  
  
" Hi Fred"  
  
" Oh hi I'll get out of your way"  
  
" No I wanted to talk to you"  
  
" Ok, Angel I really am sorry I left, really"  
  
" I know but I probably just scared you and you left b/c that's the thing you thought you should do"  
  
" Yeah I guess"  
  
" Well I'm sorry to Fred, for saying that stuff, which I did not mean"  
  
" I know, I understand, you were just mad I left and didn't listen to you"  
  
" I was more upset that you got hurt, but not mad at you, at the person who hurt you, which in a way was me"  
  
" No, Angel, it wasn't your fault, it was no ones fault- look let's just forget it even happened ok?"  
  
"Yeah ok Fred, but just one questioned?"  
  
" Shoot"  
  
" What were you thinking after you got shot?"  
  
" Well, I think I saw my whole life, from when I born to my death, flash before me. I felt like I was dying but, it was just a twisted dream and now I look at life differently"  
  
" How's that?"  
  
" Every person's life is like a big story, a book. After you die, someone reads every single thing that happened in your life. If you write the book, write it the way you want to be remembered"  
  
Angel smiled and nodded, thinking about his past and his pleasure killings.  
  
" Yeah" Angel sighed. " I guess your right"  
  
The End 


End file.
